Combining a large prehistoric beast with the site of a massive natural explosion makes for quite a powerful moniker; in the case of Montreal’s Tunguska Mammoth, their heavy stoner/sludge sound lives up to it. Their Deathbound Records debut offers eight tracks in just shy of 46 minutes, and leaves a few extinct creatures in its wake.
“Breathless” kicks things off with a pretty punishing groove, moving forward at a steady mid-tempo pace, before a slow, heavy breakdown section around the four-minute mark leads into a wah-heavy solo. “Kings and Queens” offers a soaring vocal verse, leading into a rougher, grittier chorus. The up-tempo chugs and soaring words of “Phenix” remind me of Red Fang, albeit en français SVP, while the churning, gurgling “Yellow Sign” throws a couple meaty death-metal riffs into the mix. Ditto “Le Vent,” which does a similar thing, but in a different official language.
“We Are the Night” ends things on a heavy note, with a gritty Big Business style verse, and catchy, anthemic chorus to match. Whichever language it’s delivered in, this album is pas mal pesant!
tunguskamammoth.bandcamp.com/album/breathless
